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Abcodia appoints President of North America to establish US presence and launch the ROCA test

27-05-2015

Abcodia, a specialist company engaged in the development of tests for early detection of cancer, has announced the appointment of Mrs Nadia Altomare as President of North America.

In this position, Mrs Altomare has full P&L responsibility for Abcodia Inc.; will develop and implement the strategic business plan for the US operations; launch the company’s first early cancer detection product, the ROCA® test in the US;and build a high performing, successful growing business.

The ROCA® test is a first-of-its-kind high performance test, which has been shown to detect over 86% of ovarian cancers in women with no symptoms [1,2] . Mrs Altomare will also join the Board of Directors of the parent company Abcodia Ltd.

This appointment follows Abcodia’s success in securing £5.25 million ($8m) of venture capital finance from Albion Ventures, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Scottish Equity Partners and UCL Business[3], who have committed to invest in building a highly skilled team to support the launch of the ROCA® test in both US and UK markets later in 2015.

Mrs Altomare has more than 20 years healthcare experience and an extensive knowledge in developing and implementing strategic plans to drive commercial growth in the life sciences, biotechnology, and diagnostic industries. She is a highly accomplished senior executive with an exceptional background in positioning commercial companies for growth, profitability and sustainable competitive advantage. Mrs Altomare has held senior management positions in single & multi-product/service environments spanning from entrepreneurial to Fortune 500 companies.

Mrs Altomare joined Thermofisher Scientific (formerly Life Technologies) in 2012, most recently serving as the Vice President & General Manager of the DNA analysis business. She played a key part in the business’ growth trajectory, profitability and competitive positioning. Mrs Altomare also held leadership roles at PerkinElmer Inc, serving as the Vice President & General Manager of the cytogenetic DNA testing business having joined PerkinElmer through the acquisition of ViaCell (formerly ViaCord) in 2007 as the Vice President, of Commercial Operations. Mrs Altomare joined ViaCord in 1998 as the Sr. Director of Commercial Operations leading her teams through several rounds of funding, merger, IPO, acquisition and integration into PerkinElmer.

Mrs Altomare received an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and a BS from The University of New York at Stony Brook in Stony Brook, New York.

Mrs Altomare said: “I am delighted to join Abcodia at such an exciting time in its development. ROCA® is a product with unprecedented performance for the earlier detection of ovarian cancer. The test represents a unique opportunity to address a significant clinical unmet need for any post-menopausal woman or pre-menopausal women with a clear family history of ovarian cancer. I look forward to launching the ROCA® test in the US market and to working closely with clinicians, patients, societies, regulatory bodies and advocacy groups to advance the science of early cancer detection screening for ovarian cancer.”

"With her significant experience in positioning technology start-ups for profitable growth, Nadia will be a tremendous asset to Abcodia. At this exciting time for our company she will provide insight and perspective to guide the successful expansion of our business in the US market.”

Chairman of Abcodia, Dr Andy Richards, added “We are truly fortunate to have attracted Nadia Altomare to both lead our US business and to join the Board of Abcodia ltd. She has shown a deep understanding of the potential of the ROCA® test and has the energy and enthusiasm that I know will help her to create a dynamic US commercial team. I look forward to working with her and Julie Barnes in building a substantial new diagnostic venture.”